


Take my strength, Alec

by whatabunchofbozos



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: M/M, Malec Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-08-09 15:09:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7806673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatabunchofbozos/pseuds/whatabunchofbozos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec's sister, Isabelle, was always telling him to ditch the sweaters and dress in something ‘more appropriate’ for his position as the High Warlock of Brooklyn, but had never managed to actually change his mind. He had always considered the growing acceptance of actual comfortable clothing in public the best thing about the 21st century-well. One of the best things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take my strength, Alec

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for for day 6 of Malec Week 2016, and the prompt was 'Take my strength.' Heavily based off pages 404-407 of City of Ashes, for which all credit goes to Cassandra Clare!

Alec sat cross-legged in the back of the truck, eyes fixated on the man lying in front of him. Magnus still hadn’t woken up, and he was dreading the reaction from any of the New York Institute’s Shadowhunters if he returned one of their best fighters harmed, despite the fact that none of this was his fault. 

Sighing, Alec re-positioned himself, his sodden sweater making an unpleasant squelching sound. His sister, Isabelle, was always telling him to ditch the sweaters and dress in something ‘more appropriate’ for his position as the High Warlock of Brooklyn, but had never managed to actually change his mind. Alec had always considered the growing acceptance of actual comfortable clothing in public the best thing about the 21st century-well. One of the best things.

As Alec returned his attention to Magnus once more, the Shadowhunter jolted upright and began to cough, rolling onto his hands and knees. Alec leaned forward, wanting to help, though that action took almost all of his remaining strength. The enchantment on the ship had been a much stronger one than he’d anticipated. That, added to the spell he’d had to cast on the truck in order to save Magnus, had left him almost completely drained.

Once finished with his coughing fit, Magnus turned to inspect Alec. “What happened?” he asked, still a little dazed.

“You fell over the side of the ship.” 

“And you pulled me out?”

Alec shrugged, face turning away. “I guess.”

Magnus twisted all of a sudden, his panicked eyes darting around the truck. “Did you see Catarina anywhere-“

“She’s fine. I saw her make it to a boat,” Alec interrupted. Magnus relaxed, his shoulders losing some of the seemingly permanent tension that Alec had noticed over the years to be a defining characteristic of Shadowhunters. Gently, Alec reached out to cup Magnus’ cheek, redirecting his gaze so Alec could inspect him. 

“What’s the verdict, doc?” asked Magnus after a few moments, chuckling. Alec grinned and lightly patted his cheek.

“All good,” he said. “You don’t seem to have a concussion.” He dropped his arm, his muscles feeling too weak to keep it upright. His head was pounding and he slumped over, resting his head on his folded knees.

He felt a pair of wet hands slide into his, calloused thumbs caressing his own hands easily. “Are _you_ alright?” Magnus asked.

“Don’t worry about me,” Alec replied. “You fell off a ship into freezing cold water; I’ve just been sitting right here.”

Magnus recoiled in exaggerated shock, his hands gesturing widely. “Just sitting here? _Just?_ Alexander Lightwood, you are the backbone of this entire mission. Why, without the help of our friendly neighbourhood warlock, we Shadowhunters would be helpless. Helpless, I tell you!”

Alec smirked. “I see you’ve been talking to Izzy. Or rather, Izzy’s been talking _at_ you.” 

“The woman scares me, Alec.”

“You’re a smart man.” Isabelle was prone to long rants about the way Downworlders were treated by Shadowhunters, and had been spending increasingly worrying amounts of time with Magnus since Alec had first started seeing him, dragging Magnus out for shopping trip after shopping trip so often that Magnus was likely confused as to which Lightwood he was dating. She claimed to be making sure he was ‘worthy of her big brother’ but privately, Alec wondered if there were _any_ embarrassing stories from his youth that Magnus was still unaware of.

Alec picked up Magnus’ hand again. “I’m fine, by the way,” he said. “I’m not sure how much longer I’ll last, but you should be able to get the truck back to land even if I lose consciousness.”

Magnus’ grip tightened in support. Alec smiled, even as he felt himself falling into Magnus’ chest. His head was killing him, and his vision was blurring.

“I’m sorry,” Alec mumbled into Magnus’ shirt. “I know you probably wanted to get back to the ship, but I can’t help you…the enchantment was stronger than I’d expected, and keeping the truck afloat took up the last of my magic. I don’t know why I thought I could do this on my own…”

Magnus leaned back, his striking eyes meeting Alec’s. “You can do so many things, Alec Lightwood,” he said softly, before briefly pressing his lips to Alec’s. They were still salty from the seawater, but Alec gladly returned the kiss for a few seconds, his chest feeling lighter already. 

Pulling away lazily, Magnus adjusted his grip on Alec’s hands, fumbling his damp fingers between Alec’s. “But you _don’t_ have to do them alone. Take my strength.” 

“What?-“

“Anything you can use, take it to keep yourself going,” Magnus said. “I’ve heard that warlocks can do that. You’re just as vital to this mission as all the Shadowhunters fighting on that ship. So take my strength, Alec.”

**Author's Note:**

> hmu @ whatabunchofbozos on tumblr!


End file.
